The Diamond Syndicate

2000

Diamond and her crew piled into two cars for a trip to Atlantic City to see a rap concert. She wasn’t a fan of rap, but she decided to tag along and do some gambling. Dante didn’t want to go with them.

In

the first car Trey drove Diamond, with Tyquan and Al-Malik sitting in the backseat. The second car contained Pop and two newcomers to the crew, Seth and Devon, both seventeen. They made their way down the New Jersey Turnpike, music blasting, weed smoke filling the cars.

Once in AC, Diamond booked two suites at the fabulous Trump Plaza. After checking in and putting their bags in the room, the crew made their way through the hotel lobby to take the car service over to the Sands, where the concert was being held.

“So you sure you don’t want to swing with us?” Trey asked Diamond as they stood in the lobby.

“No, you go ahead. I’ll be all right.”

Trey stood there gazing at Diamond. The others were talking loudly and clowning around. They both looked toward the door at the crew.

“You better go ahead and keep them in check,” Diamond said. “Make sure they stay outta trouble.”

“I don’t know, man. I think I should stay here with you.”

“For what? I ain’t got nothing to worry about here.”

Trey was Diamond’s bodyguard. At least, that was the way he behaved. He was overprotective of her and never left her side, except when she was entertaining one of her other young boys. But, even then, he wasn’t far away.

“A’ight then. I’ll see you when I get back.” He turned to leave and then stopped as if he forgot to tell her something. “It’s me and you tonight, right?” he asked, trying to claim his spot for the night with her.

“No doubt, baby.” She winked at him. “Oh, yeah, do me a favor, Trey.”

“What?”

“No shit from Tyquan and Pop. Keep them two apart, you hear me?” She pointed to him in a motherly way. Trey was now eighteen as was with Dante. Pop and Tyquan were in their early twenties.

“Psst.” Trey waved at her. “Them niggas don’t want it from me.”

“All right, see you later.” Diamond walked away after observing other guests staring at them.

Sometimes she felt out of place when she was with the crew. Mostly in nice places like where they were. Only because she looked as if she was the mother of the bunch, and yet she was behaving like their peer.

A half-hour later Diamond found herself bored out of her mind. She had lost about one hundred dollars sitting there waiting for the slot machine to pay off. After about another ten minutes of feeding the machine, she decided to leave the quarter-gobbling monster alone. She found herself wandering into one of the lounges, where she took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink. The house band was playing, so she sat and people-watched. She thought about how she should have gone with the boys to the concert, and just as the thought entered her mind, it quickly left. She knew she would’ve had a headache by the second song.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” a male voice asked.

Diamond looked up to see one of the most handsome white men she had ever seen outside of a TV screen. “Um . . . oh . . . no . . . no,” she said, stumbling over her words. Moving her Dolce and Gabbana purse out of the way, she made room for the handsome man to sit next to her.

“It’s dead in here tonight, isn’t it?” he asked, once seated.

“Yes, it is.”

“I’ll have a gin and tonic,” he told the bartender, who was now standing in front of them.

The bartender walked off to make his drink.

“My name is Michael,” he said, extending his hand for a shake.

“I’m Diamond.” Diamond shook his hand lightly while staring into his gorgeous ocean-blue eyes.

When the bartender came back with the drink, Michael reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out his wallet. When he opened the wallet, Diamond glanced at the wad of cash that lay in a neat pile.

Michael pulled out a twenty-dollar bill to pay the bartender. “Are you here alone?” he asked Diamond.